Another arrest linked to Austin Drummond manhunt in Tennessee: What we know
Dearrah Sanders, 23, was arrested Aug. 4 on a charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, according to a statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The statement alleges that Sanders "assisted" the still at-large suspect, Austin Drummond, after the murders but did not specify how. It is unclear if Sanders has legal representation as of Monday afternoon, Aug. 4.
Sanders' arrest follows two announced by the TBI on Aug. 2.
Tanaka Brown, 29, and Giovonte Thomas, 29, were arrested on the same charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2, respectively, the agency said in a pair of statements. An update added that Brown has been charged with one count of tampering with evidence. Brown and Sanders were booked into the Lake County Jail.
Thomas was already booked into the Madison County Jail on an unrelated charge and was set to be moved to Lake County Jail for arraignment, according to the statement.
Found baby sparks murder investigation
The case began after a 7-month-old infant girl was found sitting in a car seat in an unconnected person's front yard near Tigrett, a community in Dyer County, on July 29.
Hours later, authorities announced they were investigating a crime scene where four people were dead, revealing there may be a connection between the cases.
The victims were later identified as 20-year-old Adrianna Williams, 21-year-old James M. Wilson, 15-year-old Braydon Williams and 38-year-old Cortney Rose. They were the baby's parents, uncle and grandmother, respectively.
In a press conference at TBI headquarters in Jackson on Aug. 1, TBI Director David Rausch said investigators believe it was a targeted attack.
A massive law enforcement presence was deployed in Jackson, Tennessee on Aug. 4 as authorities followed up on a lead about the whereabouts of Drummond, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
A little before noon local time, dozens of state and local law enforcement agencies gathered on the lawn of West Jackson Baptist Church, deploying drones and K-9s in search of Drummond.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said around 12:15 p.m. CT that Drummond had not been arrested, but that the police presence was related to the search.
The Commercial Appeal reported that an Aug. 1 affidavit filed by the U.S. Marshals Service in federal court showed Deputy Marshal Darrel Weldon writing that "it is believed that Austin Drummond possibly fled the state of Tennessee."
Who is Austin Drummond?
Drummond, 28, is currently on the state's most wanted list on charges of first-degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, aggravated kidnapping and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.
"This individual has shown a propensity for violence, and he needs to be taken off the streets," Tyreece Miller, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Tennessee, said.
Drummond served a 13-year sentence for aggravated robbery and retaliation charges in 2014 – according to the Commercial Appeal. He was released in September 2024, despite several contraband charges, including having meth and a handgun.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Another arrest linked to Austin Drummond manhunt in Tennessee: What we know
A third arrest has been made in connection to the Tennessee manhunt sparked by the deaths of four people and a 7-month-old infant girl found alive in a car seat. Dearrah Sanders, 23, was arrested Aug. 4 on a charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, according to a statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The statement alleges that Sanders "assisted" the still at-large suspect, Austin Drummond, after the murders but did not specify how. It is unclear if Sanders has legal representation as of Monday afternoon, Aug. 4. Sanders' arrest follows two announced by the TBI on Aug. 2. Tanaka Brown, 29, and Giovonte Thomas, 29, were arrested on the same charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2, respectively, the agency said in a pair of statements. An update added that Brown has been charged with one count of tampering with evidence. Brown and Sanders were booked into the Lake County Jail. Thomas was already booked into the Madison County Jail on an unrelated charge and was set to be moved to Lake County Jail for arraignment, according to the statement. Found baby sparks murder investigation The case began after a 7-month-old infant girl was found sitting in a car seat in an unconnected person's front yard near Tigrett, a community in Dyer County, on July 29. Hours later, authorities announced they were investigating a crime scene where four people were dead, revealing there may be a connection between the cases. The victims were later identified as 20-year-old Adrianna Williams, 21-year-old James M. Wilson, 15-year-old Braydon Williams and 38-year-old Cortney Rose. They were the baby's parents, uncle and grandmother, respectively. In a press conference at TBI headquarters in Jackson on Aug. 1, TBI Director David Rausch said investigators believe it was a targeted attack. A massive law enforcement presence was deployed in Jackson, Tennessee on Aug. 4 as authorities followed up on a lead about the whereabouts of Drummond, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network. A little before noon local time, dozens of state and local law enforcement agencies gathered on the lawn of West Jackson Baptist Church, deploying drones and K-9s in search of Drummond. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said around 12:15 p.m. CT that Drummond had not been arrested, but that the police presence was related to the search. The Commercial Appeal reported that an Aug. 1 affidavit filed by the U.S. Marshals Service in federal court showed Deputy Marshal Darrel Weldon writing that "it is believed that Austin Drummond possibly fled the state of Tennessee." Who is Austin Drummond? Drummond, 28, is currently on the state's most wanted list on charges of first-degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, aggravated kidnapping and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. "This individual has shown a propensity for violence, and he needs to be taken off the streets," Tyreece Miller, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Tennessee, said. Drummond served a 13-year sentence for aggravated robbery and retaliation charges in 2014 – according to the Commercial Appeal. He was released in September 2024, despite several contraband charges, including having meth and a handgun.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Search for suspect in Tennessee killings focuses near university, source says, as 3rd arrest announced
A third person has been arrested on suspicion of helping a fugitive accused of killing four relatives of a Tennessee baby who was found abandoned alive last week, authorities said Monday. Meanwhile, authorities were scouring a wooded area near a private university in Jackson, Tennessee, on Monday afternoon as part of the investigation into the suspect in the killings, 28-year-old Austin Robert Drummond, a law enforcement source familiar said. As for the latest arrest: Dearrah Sanders, 23, was taken into custody Monday on warrants charging her with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, accused of assisting Drummond after the killings of the baby's relatives, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. Sanders will be booked into the Lake County Jail, the TBI said, and it is unclear if she has obtained an attorney. The same charges were also filed last week against Tanaka Brown and Giovonti Thomas, both 29. Brown is also charged with tampering with evidence, according to the TBI. Authorities have not specified precisely what the three are accused of doing to help Drummond. Drummond remains on the lam, but authorities investigating the case were searching a wooded area Monday near Union University in Jackson – the same western Tennessee city where authorities say a vehicle associated with him was found unoccupied last week. At the request of police, the university locked exterior doors to all buildings, university spokesperson Tim Ellsworth said Monday afternoon. A private school less than a mile from the university – Jackson Christian School – was on lockdown Monday afternoon, a receptionist told CNN. Because the school year starts Thursday, teachers, but not students, were at the school, which covers pre-K through grade 12. Drummond is sought in connection with the deaths of James M. Wilson, 21; Adrianna Williams, 20; Cortney Rose, 38; and Braydon Williams, 15, whose bodies were found July 29 in Tiptonville, a town in northwest Tennessee's Lake County, the TBI said. The four were found dead hours after the baby daughter of Wilson and Adrianna Williams was found abandoned on the afternoon of July 29 in a car seat in a 'random' front yard near the Dyer County community of Tigrett, nearly a 40-mile drive southeast of Tiptonville, authorities had said. Jackson is about 45 miles southeast of Tigrett. A second vehicle sought in the hunt for Drummond, a 1988 white Ford pickup truck with a red stripe, was located in Dyer County, the TBI said Saturday. The TBI hasn't said what led it to name Drummond as a suspect, or whether investigators know of a motive in the killings or why the baby was abandoned a county away from where the bodies were found. Rose was the baby's maternal grandmother, and Braydon Williams was the baby's maternal uncle, according to Danny Goodman, district attorney for Dyer and Lake counties. 'The victims were all from Dyer County, and we suspect the person that killed them knew all of them,' Goodman, who also confirmed Wilson and Adrianna Williams were the baby's parents, told CNN last week. Warrants for Drummond have been issued charging him with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, the TBI said. This is a developing story and will be updated. CNN's Cindy Von Quednow and Lily Hautau contributed to this report.
Washington Post
13 hours ago
- Washington Post
3rd person arrested for allegedly helping a Tennessee fugitive wanted in family's killings
JACKSON, Tenn. — Police in Tennessee have charged a 23-year-old woman with assisting a man wanted in the murders of the parents, grandmother and uncle of an infant found alive miles away from the crime scene. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Dearrah Sanders of Jackson, Tennessee, was arrested on Monday and charged with being an accessory after the killings. Investigators also arrested two men over the weekend on similar charges, alleging they helped 28-year-old Austin Robert Drummond after the July 29 killings. Drummond remained on the run on Monday afternoon, the TBI said in a news release.
